Newport County

Image source, Getty Images

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim has told the players he selects for Tuesday’s Bristol Street Motors Trophy game at Reading they must be “ruthless".

Jardim could give some fringe players in his squad a chance to impress in a tie that will see the winners advance to a regionalised round of 32.

He said: "In football it is ruthless, they know that, they have to take that chance.

"They have to show, especially in these games, they are up to it, they are at it every time they play, they are committed and focused and they have that enthusiasm and energy.

"When you lose that you are going to suffer. You need that and they have to show that again and again."

Jardim is likely to reshuffle his pack following last Saturday’s 2-1 League Two defeat at Tranmere Rovers.

This game could offer defender Shane McLoughlin a chance of a first start since limping out of action nearly two months ago in the 4-1 League Two home defeat by Port Vale.

Since returning from a knee injury, McLoughlin has been eased back into action with two substitute outings.

Newport are currently third in Southern Group H following a 2-1 home defeat by Cheltenham Town – in which young goalkeeper Jacob Carney was shown a red card – and a 1-0 win over West Ham United Under-21s.

Cheltenham have guaranteed their place in the last 32 by winning all three games to top the group.

But the second placed side also progress and Newport are level on points with their hosts Reading but with an inferior goal difference.

Jardim said: "We want to go through. The first game saw one of the best first halves we have had.

"Then we had the sending-off of Jacob that changed the game and obviously put us in the position where we have to go there now and win the game. But we want to win and go as far as possible in this competition."

Carney is available again after his dismissal in the Cheltenham game, but Jardim will also have number one keeper Nick Townsend available after he turned down international duty for Antigua and Barbuda this week to remain at the club.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Goalkeeper Nick Townsend has turned down international action this week to stay with Newport County for their League Two campaign.

Townsend, 30, has decided to stay at home rather than add to his 11 caps with Antigua and Barbuda.

Newport head coach Nelson Jardim confirmed: “Nick has decided not to go.

"We always leave that down to the players. He has done that in the past, he has decided not to go for the good of the team, so we have one more option."

Solihull-born Townsend qualifies for Antigua and Barbuda through his grandfather. Because of names missing on birth certificates, it took four years to prove his eligibility and involved DNA tests to establish his heritage.

He made his Antigua and Barbuda debut against Barbados in 2022 and also rejected an international call last term in order to retain his place in the Exiles team.

Townsend played for the Benna Boys last month, as they suffered successive 5-0 defeats at the hands of the Dominican Republic in the CONCACAF Nations League.

In this international break, Townsend will miss Nations League games in Bermuda on Saturday and at home to Dominica on Tuesday, 19 January.

Townsend is the undoubted number one at Newport, ahead of 23-year-old Jacob Carney.

It will be a big boost for Jardim to have the former Birmingham City stopper for Saturday’s League Two home game against Grimsby Town.

After an encouraging start to the campaign, Newport have won just one out of their last six League Two encounters, losing 2-1 at Tranmere last Saturday.

Townsend is also available for Tuesday night’s Bristol Street Motors EFL Trophy game at Reading.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Newport County winger Michael Spellman has had to learn the virtue of being patient.

But now he has overcome his misfortune of suffering an injury just days before the season started at his new club, he is ready to answer the call to the Newport starting line-up when required.

"I can’t wait for it," said the former Sunderland wide man who has had to be content with seven substitute appearances before Saturday’s League Two clash at Tranmere Rovers.

Spellman, 22, said: "I have worked hard since my injury and tried to get back as soon as possible to be around the team and to get that sharpness back.

"I am patient and I am ready whenever he (head coach Nelson Jardim) needs me. That is the way you need to be as a footballer.

"It doesn’t always go the way you want it but you have to keep working no matter what."

Newcastle United fan Spellman, who joined Newport in the summer, has certainly had to cope with the downside of football in 2024.

He said: "This year has been very tough for me with injuries. At Sunderland I was injured most of the year from January until I think April.

"It’s always tough but you just have to have mental strength and belief in yourself that you are going to get back to where you were."

His injury woe struck again and ensured his Newport career had a delayed start, as he hurt a groin just a few days before the season started.

The former Blyth Spartans loanee endured the arduous road to recovery before his belated Exiles bow against Crewe Alexandra on 28 September.

Again Spellman had to show mental fortitude, but paid tribute to his team-mates and the Newport staff who helped his recovery.

He said: "That is why you need good staff and good people around you to help you and talk to you about tough situations and push you on.

"It is always tough seeing the lads go out training knowing you cannot go. But its always about doing the right stuff in the gym so you can get back as quickly as possible."

Geordie Spellman had the novel experience of being a Newcastle fan, who idolises Alan Shearer, while playing in Sunderland colours.

He said: "At first it was a bit strange but when you are in the environment you are doing what you love, it does not matter what colours you are wearing.

"You are doing what you love and what you dreamed of as a kid."

Spellman has shown enough in his substitute outings to suggest his pace and crossing ability will be able to help Newport. He has even grabbed his first Newport goal in a 3-1 win over Salford.

Now he is looking to help Newport step up through the gears going into the winter programme.

Having been forced to watch from the sidelines and also now playing, Spellman said:"I think the group we have and the ability in this team is massive.

"The next two months up to Christmas are massive because we have a lot of games and we need to push on to get some good results."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim hopes Swansea City will be back on the “right track” as a result of an ownership change.

Majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan are in the process of selling their stake in Swansea City to fellow shareholders Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt and Nigel Morris, along with businessman Jason Cohen.

Jardim had a long association with the Swans as a coach, first joining the club in 2009 under Paulo Sousa.

He subsequently re-joined the club in 2017 as a lead academy coach and then first team coach under Francesco Guidolin, Paul Clement and Carlos Carvahal.

Now Jardim hopes the ownership alteration and possible extra finance from the change, will strengthen a club about which he still has strong feelings.

“The club is important for the city and the country and hopefully they will find that right track, because Swansea belongs to the Premier League and hopefully they will go back," said Jardim.

Jardim recalled he first met Levien and Kaplan who bought a 68% stake in Swansea, then a Premier League club, in 2016.

“I got to know them for the first time in Washington, during a pre-season when Guidolin was there. They were great to us, fantastic, with big projects for the club. They were very focussed and very good to us.”

Portuguese coach Jardim now devotes his full focus to his first managerial role, with Newport County, under former Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins.

But he still has strong feelings for the Championship outfit which he left to join Aitor Karanka’s Birmingham City in 2020.

“I don’t hide my feelings. The club is close to my heart because of my past good years there.

"It is such a big club and and important club for me and my family.”

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Senior duo Aaron Wildig and Bryn Morris are set to give Newport County a double boost for their League Two trip to Tranmere, on Saturday.

Morris missed last Saturday’s FA Cup exit at the hands of League One Peterborough United with a knock, while captain Wildig was on the bench against Posh but could not play any part because of ongoing back problems.

But both are ready and available to face Tranmere as Newport head coach Nelson Jardim weighs up his options for the clash at Prenton Park.

Jardim said: “Bryn is that character, that senior player who is experienced and knows the league very well and obviously is one of the good players in this squad. Having him on the pitch is good but he brings other things, too.

“Aaron is a leader and captain of this club and I have mentioned before, he leads by example on the pitch. Both of them are massive for us, but so are all the others.

" It’s not all about players and one or two people it’s about the squad and the club, it’s about everyone being involved and engaged.”

Striker Hamzad Kargbo is still sidelined by a shoulder problem and though defender Shane McLoughlin returned from injury to the bench against Peterborough, he is still short of full fitness.

Jardim said: “Shane in the final process. He is fit but needs to get that final bit where he can give us that confidence, that he is not going to get injured again.”

Its possible McLoughlin will more likely feature in Tuesday’s Bristol Street Motors Football League Trophy tie at Reading.

But with the availability of Morris and Wildig, there will be more midfield options for Jardim as Newport, currently standing 14th in the table, resume their League Two programme against a side five points and five places below them.

Before their cup demise, Newport had kept two clean sheets with a win at Gillingham and a hard fought goalless draw at home to Fleetwood.

Now in the wake of their cup disappointment, Jardim said: “It all about bouncing back. Last week we were disappointed and frustrated not to get something out of the game.

“But we have to focus on what we have done well and we have done a lot of good things”

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

If the takeover talk at Tranmere Rovers comes to fruition, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna my soon be pitching up at Prenton Park.

This Saturday, however, Tranmere's visitors will be Newport County.

There is speculation that rapper A$AP Rocky, whose girlfriend is fellow music star Rihanna, is part of an investment group led by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina which is interested in taking charge at Tranmere.

The suggestion is that Rovers could follow Wrexham by thriving under celebrity owners from the other side of the Atlantic.

For the moment, the picture is not so glamorous, with Nigel Adkins' team looking to haul themselves out of the bottom half of League Two.

Tranmere are 19th, six points clear of the relegation zone, having won just one of their last nine league games.

There was bad news in the FA Cup last weekend, too, as the Birkenhead club were beaten on home soil by National League side Oldham Athletic.

Tranmere's home record this season is poor, with only one league win so far, and Newport will travel north hoping to add to their misery.

Nelson Jardim's side are five points and five places better off than Tranmere, having taken four points from their two league games prior to their FA Cup defeat to Peterborough United last time out.

Though they are in the bottom half of the table going into the weekend, Newport are only three points outside the play-off spots.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Newport County midfielder Kai Whitmore hopes to emulate former Exile Will Evans’ progression from Cymru Premier to League One level.

Ex-Cardiff Met striker Evans, 27, joined League One side Mansfield Town for a six-figure fee last summer, two years after first turning professional in League Two with Newport.

Whitmore, 23, joined County from Cymru Premier team Haverfordwest County in June 2024 and scored his second goal of the season in Saturday's defeat to Peterborough United in the FA Cup. It was the midfielder’s first start since recovering from a calf injury.

When asked if he would like to follow in the footsteps of Evans, who has scored five goals for Mansfield, Whitmore said: "Yeah definitely, I’m trying my best.

"I came in [to the club] wanting to do my best and to see where it goes and I see Will Evans, he was the same and moved on.

"It was frustrating being injured that long, I think it was eight weeks in the end but it was my first start back and I got a goal.

"There’s obviously competition and you’re not allowed to come straight back to start, you’ve got to build up the minutes. I was tired, mind you.

"We want to win every game, there’s a big block of games coming up to January and we want to win as much as we can."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Nelson Jardim says his Newport County squad need to make full use of their upcoming week to recover after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Peterborough United.

Aaron Wildig, Bryn Morris and James Clarke were all notable absentees for the Exiles' first round encounter with Darren Ferguson's side at Rodney Parade.

"We've been struggling with a couple of injuries or knocks," said Jardim.

"There was a little bit of illness around the team as well. That's why [Aaron] Wildig didn't play, Bryn [Morris], a couple of others. Even Bobby [Kamwa], three days ago he was not well.

"Now it's about recovery, but also about which areas we can improve. I think that's the key."

Newport looked on course for an upset after early goals from Anthony Glennon and Kai Whitmore put them 2-0 up after just seven minutes.

But the visitors hit back in style, as Abraham Odoh and Joel Randall netted prior to a late Ricky-Jade Jones brace as Posh survived a scare in south Wales.

Shane McLoughlin was an unused substitute for the hosts after he made his long-awaited return to a matchday squad following two months out with a knee injury.

But Jardim revealed the defender was not thrust back into the limelight against League One Peterborough given his lengthy period out of action.

"We had a report from the medical side that he could only be ready for a maximum of 20 minutes so you're not going to risk him and possibly lose him for the next chunk of games," added Jardim.

Newport return to League Two action against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Newport County’s players have been practicing penalties this week ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup first-round tie at home to Peterborough United.

Head coach Nelson Jardim has confirmed they have planned who will take the spot kicks if the game goes to a shoot-out.

The tie has to be decided on Saturday so could involve extra time and eventually penalties.

Confirming his players had practiced penalties this week, Jardim said: "We don’t know who is going to be on the pitch but we will have a list ready. You have to be brave.

“It is one thing to practice in training sessions but another thing in a match and in such an important competition.

"Sometimes it has a little bit more to do with your emotion and how cold you can be in that moment, rather than sometimes being very good on the training ground.”

Newport midfielder Bryn Morris saw his penalty saved in last Saturday’s League Two goalless home draw with Fleetwood Town.

Jardim quipped: “We have practiced penalties. Bryn practiced one last week!”

The Exiles head coach is convinced Morris, who is a fitness worry for the tie, will shrug off that disappointment when required.

"He will improve again... he is good, it (missing) just happens. You have seen Cristiano Ronaldo missing penalties.

"Sometimes we don’t give credit to the goalkeepers, they work hard as well. Some of the saves are down to the keeper and in Bryn’s case it was a great save.

"The ball just rolled on the line, just one of those football moments. It’s gone now, there are no issues at all, that is just part of the game."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim says it will be a "privilege" to take charge of a team in the FA Cup for the first time.

The Portuguese coach acknowledged the competition has a special place in the football world.

And he is well aware of how valuable Newport’s exploits have been in this competition over recent years.

The Exiles' first round tie against Peterborough United will represent a personal milestone for Jardim, who was appointed by chairman Huw Jenkins last summer.

"It is massive," said Jardim."I have experienced it before in other clubs - Swansea, Leicester and Birmingham. But now as a head coach it is a different story."

Jardim watched the likes of West Ham United's Paulo Futre in the Premier League when growing up in Portugal but believes the history of the FA Cup makes it a special competition even though all countries have their own domestic trophy tournaments.

He said: "You cannot compare. A cup is a cup, but this one is the one that everyone always dreams to play in and it will be a privilege for me. It is a big day and goes along with how important it is for this club."

Under Mike Flynn’s reign as manager Newport had financially bountiful FA Cup exploits, beating former Premier League champions Leicester City and Championship clubs Leeds United and Middlesbrough.

They also took part in money spinning ties against Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

Last season they were rewarded for overcoming Eastleigh after a replay with a memorable third round home tie against Manchester United, making a stirring comeback from 2-0 down before losing 4-2.

"It has been a big deal. You have to have a bit of luck with the draws but I think the only thing you can do is be focussed, be ready, be with good energy and try to do your best and hopefully get the result we want."

Image source, Getty Images

Following significant upheaval at the club over the summer, Nelson Jardim will be more than pleased - while there have been both ups and downs - with his start to life as Newport County boss.

The Exiles sit 14th in League Two after 14 games, three points adrift of the play-off places and 11 clear of the relegation zone.

That is 19 points for Jardim who took control in July. But how does his start as Newport boss compare to his predecessors in the Rodney Parade dugout?

Jardim's record in the league so far consists of six wins, one draw and seven defeats.

Graham Coughlan - the man Jardim replaced as boss - managed five wins, six draws and just three defeats to gain 21 points from his first 14 league matches, two more than Jardim.

James Rowberry had the best start when it comes to recent managers. He gained 27 points courtesy of winning eight games and drawing three of his first 14 league outings as head coach.

Even in the midst of a seemingly fatal relegation battle, Michael Flynn gained 24 points (two of which came after being appointed permanently) to steer the club to safety in the most remarkable fashion.

The record in the years prior to that were uninspiring to say the least.

Graham Westley picked up just 10 points from his first 14 league games, with 10 defeats during that period.

Warren Feeney oversaw a far healthier return of 21 points consisting of six wins, three draws and five losses from his first 14 league games.

John Sheridan left for Oldham Athletic having coincidentally managed exactly 14 league games at Newport - winning just three, drawing six and losing five to pick up 15 points.

As for Terry Butcher, he did not even last 14 League Two games in south Wales.

The former England international was sacked after 10 league matches with a record of just one win, two draws and seven defeats, giving Newport just five points.

So all in all, Jardim's return is certainly healthy when compared to those who have held the post before him.

The Portuguese - along with club chairman Huw Jenkins - will understandably point to the fact that the current new-look squad is continuing to gel while it is also loaded with players in the earlier stages of their professional careers.

And as he closes in on the one-year mark of his tenure as chairman at Rodney Parade, Jenkins can be fairly satisfied with the current trajectory of the club.

Image source, Newport County

Newport County have appointed Rob Thomas as the club’s new head of goalkeeping.

Thomas served as National Goalkeeper Coach Education Coordinator at the Football Association of Wales (FAW) Trust for the past 15 years.

He will now form part of Nelson Jardim's backroom team at Rodney Parade - replacing previous goalkeeping coach Jim Hollman who recently left the club by mutual consent after six years.

A club statement read: "Newport County would like to extend its gratitude to Jim for his contribution over the years and wish him all the best in his future endeavours."

Thomas has spent the past two seasons at Cymru Premier side Haverfordwest County.